Transmission



Jan. 3, 1928. 1,655,079

c. W. WEISS TRANSMI S S ION Filed April 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR WZ K: Mm

C. W. WEISS TRANSMISSION Jan. 3, 1928.

Filed April 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 MmW Arman/m"- Patented Jan. 3. 1928.

UNITED STATES cant. w. wnrss, or Bnooxmm, NEW YORK.

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Application filed April 28, 1927. Serial Ro. 187,474.

Thegeneral object of thls invention is to produce an-improved torque controlled, variable speed, power transmission. In such transmissions the product of speed and a torque for the driven shaft remains constant. Tobegin with a 111 speed ratio (commonly known as high gear in automobile transmissions), implies that the normal speed ratio as between the dri ing shaft and the l driven shaft is also 1:1, the driven shaft,

when freed of control, returning automatically to the speed of the driving shaft. ithout the introductionof a device, such as a torquev and centrifugal force control, by which the transmission mechanism is returned automatically, when freed of control, tolbwgear, this would mean that the car or other mechanism to be driven must be started from a condition of rest at the high speed ratio instead of the torque multiplying lowgea-r ratio. The mechanism in which the present invention resides is so designed as to meet this primary requirement and also toeffect disen agement be-.

{2 tween thedriving member and the driven member so as to permit the motor to idle under normal conditions, thereby making unnecessary the provision of a manually controlled clutch. The speed at which the motor may idle, that is, without driving engagement with the" driven member, having been predetermined, an increase of the motor speed will bringabout drivin'g engagement but at a low spe'edratio with a maximum torque. With the decrease of resistance, as

the car or other mechanism gets under way, the speed ratio will increase adually and continuouslv until the motor a desirable speed and horse power output Likewise, if the torque of the driven member increases and approaches the motor torque,

it reacts on the transmission to change the speed ratio, also gradually and continuously, so that the increased resistance shall be over- 5 come at a reduced speed. Obviously there must be a relatively stationary point of reactance which preferably takes the form of a one-direction roller bearing, one member of which is fixed. he improved construction by which'all of these conditions are met will be fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrated. a convenient and practical embodiment ofithe invention and in which:

tain's its'most Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal central section of a transmission mechanism which embodies the vinvention.

Figure 2 is-a detail view in section on the plane indicated by the broken lines 2-2 of Figure .1, illustrating particularly the construction of the reaction device.

Figure 3 is a partial view generally similarto'Figure 1, but showing the parts in different positions. Figure 4 is a .vlew in sectional elevation on the plane indicated by .the broken line 4-4 of Figure 3.

I In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the driving element is indicated in a fragmentary manner as the fly-wheel (L of a motor. The several parts fof the transmission are shown as supported on the driven shaft 6, which is shown as hav- 1 ing a hearing at one end, as at b, in the flywheel a, 'and at the other end, as at 6 in the fixed housing c, the shaft 6 being shown as provided with a transmitting'pinion b Mounted loosely on the shaft 6 is a sleeve d, which is held from longitudinal movement by a split ring ,d' at one end, the split ring being seated in an annular groove 1) in the shaft 12, and at the other end by the inner ring of a bearing (P, such inner ring abut ting against a shoulder b of the shaft 12. Mounted on the sleeve d is an. element e which is shown asengaged through stu'dsef with the fly-wheel a so as to rotate therewith, forming in'efiect a part of thedriving element. TlllS element e hasat e"- a thrust bearing,vwhich may rest against the split ring. d2 The elemente forms an abutment ,for the stiff, spiral springs f, f which bear it their other ends against a sleeve-like memer 2 abov e mentioned and .on the shaft 6 withfreedom for limited endwise movement. from the position shown in Figure 1 toward the driving element, as shown in Figure 3. The driving element e, as it may be regarded for convenience,- is'recessed externally as at e, to receive the arms 9 of one or more centrifugal weights g, which are pivotally mounted, as at 9 on a sleeve-like member g, which is supported onthe driving element .3 with capacity for longitudinal movement under the influence of the centrifugal welghts against the pressure of the springs f, f. Securedto the sleeve-like member gfia-s by screw bolts which is supported on the bearing 11* y", is an annular member 9 which isformed on one side with a. concave contact face, which may be surfaced with a suitable fric tional material, as indicated at y Splined on the shaft b is a sleeve h which I is held from longitudinal movement by a shaft Z, atone end of the sleeve, and by roller clutch bearing 0, which may be con- Letters Patent of the United States,

rplit ring it received in a groove 1) of the a shoulder 72 of the shaft 1) at the other end of the sleeve. The sleeve h is formed externally with a helix or coarse screwthread and is engaged by a corresponding sleeve 1', the latter being capable of limited longitudinal movement with respect to the" sleeve h but rotating with the sleeve 72, when it has reached the limit of its longitudinal movement in either direction. The sleeve 11 has secured thereto an extension 11, which is supported throughaa bearing 2' on the sleeve-like member 7, the bearin i be- ,ing held from longitudinal disp acement on the sleeve-like member f by a split ring 2' The extension '11 also bears, through a thrust hearing i at its end, against a flange of the sleeve-like member f Mounted on the sleeve c and its extension 21 and splined thereto so as to rotate therewith, is a mutor carrier is which is shown as chambered cylindrically to support, through bearings k and 70?, the mutor I Z and to receive a stifl spiral spring 70 which, having an abutment against a shoulder k of the mutor carrier and resting at its other end against the bearing it, exerts an outward pressure upon the mutor. The mutor comprises a shaft Z, on which is splined a sleeve Z which carries at its outer end a spherical head Z for cooperation with the concaved annular memberg". At its inner end the shaft Z carries a pinnion Z.

An internal gear m, mounted loosely on the shaft 6 through a hub m, meshes with the pinnion Z for the purpose of providing a reaction device. As shown, the gear. m is held in fixed relation, in one direction of rotation, through connection with the fixed housing 0 by means of a one-direction structedas shown in Figure 2, and more particularly described in application for Serial No. 17 9,734, filed March 31, 1927, COIDPIIS- ing an inner member o which may, be splined on the hub m, a lockmg rmg made up of'a series of blocks '0 formed each with an inclined surface, a spacing ring. 0 rollers of, and an outer member 0 which is.

shown as secured to the housing 0, as by bolts 0. It will. be understood that a slight I looking ring 0 movement of the inner member 0." and the seen in Figure 2, forces the rollers against the stationary outer member so that the -in-' ternal gear m is thereby held from rotation and furnishes a point of reactance .for the in a clockwise direction, as-

mutor,.while free rotation of the internal gear m is permitted in the opposite direction. v

When the motor is rotating ata speed which does not exceed a' predetermined idling speed, the driving element c also rotates at the idling speed at which the centrifugal action is not sufficient to throw the centrifugal members g outward against the reaction of the springs f, f. The annular driving member 5 therefore occupies its extreme right-hand position, as shown in Figure l, and the mutor] also occupies its extreme retracted position, as shown inthe same figure. Under these circumstances the extreme "edge of the spherical head I of the mutor is in driving contact only with the adjacent ring of the bearing 71, which itself rotates freely, so'that the spherical head of the mutor is not rotated upon its own axis. As the ring of the bearing 71* is free, no poweris transmitted through the mutor lo the driven element when this condition obtains.

When, however, the speed of the motor and the driving element 6 is increased slightly above the idling speed, the action of the centrifugal weights 9, by reason of the engagement of the arms 9 in the recess 0 of the non-longitudinally movable driving element 0, causes the sleeve-like member (fig-on which 'the centrifugalweights are jmounted, to

move toward the left against'the pressure of the springs f, f, such movement of the sleeve-like member 9 effecting like movement of the annular concave contact member 9 The spherical head Z ofthe mutor Z, under the influenceof the spring 75 follows the movement of the annular concave con-.

tact member g in contact therewith. As the annular contact member moves in a direction parallel with the axis of the shaft 7), and as the'spherical head Z of the mutor moves joutward in a direction at an angle with or divergent from'the line of the axis ill) of the shaft b, t he contact of the edge of mutor will make contact with the annular contact member, as. shown in Figure 3. When the edge of the spherical head of the mutor makes contact with the inner edge of the annular contact member 9 which is then rotatin at a relatively slow'speed, but at a speed s ightly above the idling speed, the spherical head of the mutor will be caused to speed ratio, but'the operation under difierent memo-re rotate upon its own axis and the pinion Z will be caused thereby to roll in engagement with the internal gear m, thereby carrying the mutor in revolution about the axis of the creased, the limited relative rotation of the two sleeves i and it will move the sleeve 71 to the right and will move the contact member 9 to the right also, thereby changing the rea lation of the spherical head of the mutor and the contact'member in opposition to the centrifugal action of the weights 9'. When this is accomplished, the relative movement of the sleeve 21 will cease and the two sleeves i and It will rotate together, the sleeve h car rying with it in its rotation the shaft 6 or driven element at a torque multiplying low gear ratio.- As the'speed of the motor increases and the annular contact member is moved to the left, as to its extreme position, indicated in Figure 3, the contact between theannularcontact member and .the spherical head of the mutor will shift to the position shown in Figure 3,, in which position the spherical head, being in contact with the contact member at points on opposite sides of its own axis, will cease to rotate on its own axis and the mutor will revolve about the axis of the driven shaft, carrying'with it the sleeve '5, sleeve h and shaft 1) at the same speed of rotation as that of the driving element, the speed ratio being then 1: 1.

When the spherical head of the mutor ceases'to rotate on its own axis and the pinion Z therefore ceases to rotate on its own axis, the internal gear m will then be carried in the samedirection as the direction of revolution of the mutor, the one-direction ball clutch o permitting then such free rotation of the ear m.

The oregoing description of the operation of the transmission has relation only to the progression from. a condition of rest to a 1?:1

' conditions will be understood readily. "If it be assumed that the transmission is applied to. an automobile and that" the 1: 1 speed ratio has been attained on a-sinooth surfaced, level road and that the automobile has en tered upon an u ward incline, with increase of resistance, suc that-greater driving torque is desirablefor its propiflsion, the" action of the helix i,"h, due .to the torque of the-driven element is such that the contact member will be-moved to the ri ht, the mutor head I will also be moved to t e right with a con-' sequent relative displacement of the dontact member and the mutor, by reason of their angular relation, from the relation shown in Figure 3 toward the relation shown in Figure l with a reduction ofthe speed ofthe driven eleinent'and an increase of driving torque.

It will be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement may be 'inade'to suit different conditions of use and that, except as pointed out in the accompanying claims, the invention is not restricted to the particular construction shown and described herein. I

I claim as my invention '1. A power transmission device comprising a drivingelement, a contact member rotatable therewith, a mutor adapted to have driving contact with the contact member, said contact member and said mutor being relatively displaceable to vary the'fspeed transmitted from one to the other and the torque, centrifugal devices to effect such relative displacement, a reaction device in operative relation with the mutor, and a driven element in operative relation with the mutor.

' 2. A power transmission device compris ing a driving element, agcontact member rotatable with thedriving element, a mutor revoluble about an'axis external to itself and having a contact head rotatable about an axis'inclinedwith respect to the axis of revolution and adapted to have driving contact with the contact member, a pinion carried by the mutor and rotatable with the contact head, a gear in engagement with the said pinion, means to prevent rotation of said gear in one direction while permitting free rotation thereof in the opposite direction, and a driven element inoperative relation with the mutor.- i

3- A power transmission device comprising a drivinglelement, a contact member rotatable therewith, a driven'shaft coaxial with placeable tovary the speed transmitted from one to. the other and the tor' no, a mutor vcar.-

rier concentric with said s aft a coarsely threaded sleeve fixed to said sha a coarselyv threadedBLsleeve carried with the mutor carrier in engagement with the first named sleeve,- and a reaction device in operative relation with the mutor.

' 4. A owerit ransmission device'r'omprising a drivingelement, a contact member rotatable therewith, [a driven shaft coaxial with the driving element and the contact member, a mutor adapted to have driving contact withthe contact member, said contact member and said mutorbeing relatively displaceable to vary the speed transmitted from one to the other and the torque, means to effect such displacement a'inutorcarrier threaded sleeve carried with the mutor carrier in engagement with the first named sleeve, and a reactlon device 1n operative relation with the mutor.

5. A power transmission device comprising a driving element, a contact member .ro-

tatable therewith, a mutor having a rotat-- able headadapted to have driving contact with the contact member, means to effect relative displacement of the contact member and said head, a pinion rotatable with the mu-tor head, a mutor carrier concentric with the driving element, a coarsely threaded sleeve fixed to the mutor carrier, a driven shaft, a coarsely threaded sleeve fixed to the driven shaft and engaged by the first named sleeve, a gear in engagement with said pinion and coaxial with the driven shaft, and a fixed housing, and a one-direetion roller clutch bearing interposed'bctween said gear and said housing.

6. A power transmission device comprising a' driving element, a contact member rotatable with the driving element about the axis of the driving element and movable longitudinally with respect thereto, a mutor revoluble about an axis external v to itself and having a contact head rotatable about an axis inclined with respect to the axis of revolution and movable longitudinally for engagement with said contact member, means to effect relative displacement of the contact head and the contact member, a reaction 'device in operative relation with the mutor, and adriven element in operative re-' lation with the muto r. I

7. A power transmission device comprising a driving element, a contact member. rotatable with the drivingelement about the I axis of the driving element and movable iongitudinally with respect thereto, centrifugal devices in operative'relation with the con tact member to move the same longitudinal- 1y,a mutor revoluble about anfaxis external to itself-and having a contact head rotatableaboutan axis inclined with respect to the axis of revolution and movable longitudinally for engagement with said contact member... means to effect relative displacement of the contact head and the contact member, a reaction device in operative rela tion with the mutor, and a driven element inoperatlve relatlon with the mutor.

ing a driving element, a contact member ro- .,'tatable with the driving element about the laxis of the driving element and movable an axis external to itself and having a con-- tact head rotatable about an axis inclined with respect to the axis of revolution and movable longitudinally for engagement wlth said contact member, a reaction device in 'operative relation with the mutor, and a driven element in operative relation with the mutor;

9. a A power transmission device comprismg a driving element, a. driven shaft in axial alignment with the driving element, a conand movable longitudinally for engagement with said contact member, means to effect relative displacement of the contact head and the contact member, a reaction device ind operative relation with the mutor, and a driven element in operative relation with the'mutor. v

10. A power transmission device comprising a driving element, a driven shaft in axial alignment with the driving element, a contact member rotatable with the driving element about the driven shaft and movable longitudinally, a.mutor revoluble about the axis of the driven shaft and having a contact head rotatable about an axis ingitudinally, a reaction device in operative relation with the mutor, and a driven element in operatlve relation with the mutor.

11. A power transmission device comprising a driving element a driven shaft in axial alignment with the driving element, a con.

tact member rotatable with the driving .element about the driven shaft and movable longitudinally, amutor revoluble about the ,axis of the driven shaft and having a contact head rotatable about-an axis inclined with respect to )the axis of the driven shaft and movable longitudinally for engagement with, said icontactmember, centrifugal devices inoperative relation with the contact member to move the same longitudinally, a motor carrier revoluble about the axis of the f driven shaft, a coarsely threaded sleeve fixed '8. A power-transmission device comprise to the mutori carrier, a coarsely threaded sleeve fixed to the driven shaft and in engagement withthe first named sleeve, and a reaction device in operative relation with the mutor. 4 Y

12, A'power transmission device comprising a driving element, a'contact member rotatable with the driving element about the axis of the drlving element;- and movable longitudinally with respect'thereto, centrifugal devices in operative relation with the contact member to move the same longitudinally in one'direction, a s ring to move the contact member longitudinally in the opposite direction, a mutor revoluble about the axis of the driving element and having.

a contacthead rotatable about an axis inclined with respect to the axis of revolution and movable longitudinally, a spring coacting with the mutor head to press the same toward the contact member, a reaction device in 'operative relation with the mutor,

.and a driven element in operative relation and movable longitudinally, a spring coact mg with the mutor head to-press the same toward the contact member, a coarsely threaded sleeve fixed to the mutor, a second coarsely threaded sleeve in engagement with the first, a driving shaft to which the second sleeve is fixed, and a reaction device in operative relation with the mutor.

14. A power transmission device comprising a driving element, a contact member rotatable therewith, a mutor adapted to have driving contact with the contact member but normally out of contact therewith, said contact member and said mutor being relatively displaceable to vary the speed trans- -mitted from one to the other and the torque,

centrifugal devices to efic'ect such relative displacement, a spring acting in opposition to the centrifugal devices, a reaction device in operative relation with the mutor, and a driven element in operative relation with the mutor.

15. A power transmission device comprising a driving element, a contact member rotatable therewith, a mutor adapted to have driving contact with the contact member but normally out of contact therewith, said contact member and said mutor being relatively displaceable to vary the speed transmitted from one to the other and the torque, centrifugal devices to effect such relative displacement, a spring acting in opposition to thecentrifugal devices, a device, acting in opposition to the centrifugal devices and comprising a coarsely threaded sleeve in operat-ive relation with the mutor and a second coacting sleeve, a reaction device in operative relation with the mutor, and a driven element in operative 0nd sleeve.

This specification signed this 26th day of April A. D. 1927.

CARL W. WEISS.

relation with the sec- 

